Open call for Watershed’s Winter Residencies programme for UK based creative practitioners blending art and tech


A fantastic opportunity from Watershed who have just announced an open call for their funded Winter Residencies programme - they are looking for two UK based creative practitioners, who need time and support to develop ideas that blend art with technology.


A Winter Residency (between Jan to March 2022) at Watershed offers funded time out of your regular environment to delve deeper into a creative idea, within a supportive community of practitioners. 

The deadline for applications is Mon 8 Nov 2021, 10:00 GMT

New ideas arise when individuals imagine how things could be different. But for creative practitioners, finding time and support to think, with no expectation of outcome is really hard. US activist and author Rebecca Solnit writes:


“Thinking is generally thought of as doing nothing in a production-oriented society, and doing nothing is hard to do. It's best done by disguising it as doing something” (Quote from Wanderlust: A History of Walking)

Watershed's Winter Residency is a fantastic disguise. This year they are offering two creative practitioners from any discipline, career stage and background the opportunity to bring the seed of idea and spend time thinking, making, asking questions, exploring and sharing possibilities.

Victoria Tillotson, Talent Development Lead at Watershed says:

“Watershed’s Winter Residency programme offers bespoke support for creative practice and ideas. We place no pressure on outcomes, as we know from experience that freedom to think reverberates in many different ways, inducing change and the creation of incredible artworks over time. We’re delighted to launch an open call built on freedom and flexibility, inviting creative practitioners based in the UK to develop ideas they feel are timely and important.”

Watershed encourage applications from people that are underrepresented in the creative and culture sector (for example you are from a community that experiences racism, or you are a disabled person (as defined by the Equalities Act in 2010), or you did not go to University or you had free school meals as a child).  They always aim to be as inclusive as possible and work to accommodate all access requirements. They will openly discuss and tailor how they do things to support you as best they can.

Contact residencies@watershed.co.uk if writing or recordings are not your thing, please don’t be afraid to do this, as they are always really happy to discuss alternatives that would work better for you.

FULL DETAILS OF RESIDENCIES: There are two residencies available offering:

• 14-days in residence, in person at the Pervasive Media Studio (Bristol) and online
• A bursary of £2,800 (tax inclusive) plus £500 for materials
• A travel bursary to support temporary relocation to Bristol
• The opportunity to focus intensively on the development of an idea
• Tailored critical and technical support
• A hand-picked mentor drawn from the Studio community
• A structured process featuring research blogs, regular catch ups, discussions and sharing events
• A peer community of potential collaborators for current and future projects

The programme will take place in Winter 2022 and they're flexible about how you structure your time. This is an opportunity to develop an idea, meet incredible people, imagine, share and think.

YOU CAN APPLY NOW IF YOU ARE:

• A creative practitioner of any discipline, career stage and background
• You reside (or are planning to reside) in the UK
• You have an idea for an artistic project that blends art with technology, on any theme you want to explore
• Have (at least) 14 days of time to spend with us between January – March 2022

You can apply as individuals or groups (although they strongly encourage groups to consider that they have no additional fees available).

The scheme is not aimed at undergraduate students, students in full time education, or those living outside of the UK.

For further information (more about the programme/theme, what they offer, dates and more) please read the Residency Brief.

  • Residency Brief HERE
  • Large Print Residency Brief HERE

HOW TO APPLY

Complete the  Inclusion Survey HERE

And email either 2-3 sides of A4 OR a video or audio file (max 10 minutes in length) to residencies@watershed.co.uk including;

• Your name and postcode
• Your email and phone number
• A short biography
• What is the idea you want to develop?
• Why do you need to be resident at the Pervasive Media Studio to make this work?
• Any relevant links (optional)

How Watershed will use your details

Watershed will use the information you provide to us to assess and manage your application. We are committed to protecting your personal information and being transparent about what information we hold about you. Please refer to our Privacy notice for further information https://www.watershed.co.uk/privacy

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